Blinded by Superstition: A Case Study on Witch Hunting

Encouraging critical thinking through open discussion in public forums, thereby challenging traditional beliefs about witches being the cause of all the misfortunes that tribal communities face is perhaps the only way that the bane of witch-hunting can be eradicated from society.

O N THE FREEZING MORNING of 9 December 2016, at around 5 a.m., when there was relatively low visibility and a deep silence had enveloped the area, three people barged into a house in Tapkara panchayat of Torpa block and attacked a 60 year-old woman named Susari Budh. They attacked her from behind without saying a word. She was dragged mercilessly out of the house, her hands and neck were tied and kerosene was poured on her. The poor frail lady begged for her life but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Nature was a mute witness to the men lighting a matchstick and setting her on fire, burning her alive in front of her rented house.

An innocent woman lost her life, accused of indulging in witchcraft. Hatred and violence enveloped the area. Hearing about such incidents always had me wonder whether witches actually existed or was someone pronouncing an innocent person a witch. Why would a human being pronounce another a witch? How did this start?

I barely knew anything about witch-hunting except that it was a social evil. When trying to understand the above incident, many facts, myths, beliefs and superstitions came to the forefront. On 18 December 2016, a community meeting was called to examine the facts and to demystify the event that took place. The meeting was held in the Panchayat Bhawan, where about 150 people had gathered, although only 25 to 30 were expected. An innocent woman lost her life, accused of indulging in witchcraft. Hatred and violence enveloped the area.